The Riots in Brussels

Close to two hundred people were arrested Friday night in riots which lasted up to five hours between Anderlecht (Brussels) football fans and Morrocan youth. 150 police agents were called in to separate the two groups.
Moroccan youth? H'mmmmmmm I wonder if that is "code" for Methodists? No wait the other "M" word.....

Shortly after 7pm, there were several disturbances between Anderlecht supporters and the police. the supporters tried to reach a large group of immigrants in the De Lindeplein, who had gathered at the Sint-Guido metro-station.

After the Belgian cup finals between RSC Anderlecht and AA Ghent Sunday evening, won by Anderlecht, fights broke out between Anderlecht supporters and immigrant youth. The immigrant youth were threatened by skinheads.

A blog called upon North African youth to "settle matters with the white supporters of the football club Anderlecht" Friday, and to "burn down cafes, houses and cars." More than 600 youth responded to the posting.

The Anderlecht municipality urged everybody to calm down. Mayor Gaëtan Van Goidsenhoven took the threats of violence against white Anderlecht supporters very seriously and called in extra police forces, particularly next to the Constant Vanden Stock stadium and to the Sint-Guido metro station.

Van Goidsenhoven says that already social workers and police were noticably present for several days, and over the next few hours and days the police will be out in force to prevent escalation.

Anderlecht asked meanwhile to close down the blog. The public prosecution is already conducting an investigation into the bloggers, who come from abroad.
The mayor thinks youth from other municipalities also took part in the fights.

Throughout the evening the police tried to keep both groups apart, also through charges with horses. It appeared to work for a while but at 8pom Anderlecht supporters again clashed with the police.

After a period of relative calm, a car with several immigrants was attacked. The car was pelted with stones and other objects, the trunk forced open and emptied. Two passengers, both young men, were injured.

The feelings were re-inflamed elsewhere as well when a large group of Anderlecht supporters trying to get from De Lindeplein to Sint-Guido metrostation, ran into the police. The agents were pelted with stones, beerglasses and crush barriers and had to perform several charges, and a water-cannon was again called in. This incident did not become a real clash.

Two hundred people were arrested, most of immigrant origin. In the Wayezstraat alone 80 youth were arrested, including a number of girls.

The group of immigrant youth which are gathered at the Dapperheidsplein pelted the police with stones. At least one agent was injured. A bus station was smashed to piced, several cars damaged and the shop windows of several stores. According to the police the fire brigade was also attacked.

A water-canon truck of the police going towards Sint-Guido metro-station was attacked by Anderlecht supporters trying to reach the North Africans. The police charged with horses and drove them back to De Lindeplein. The water canon and pepper spray were also called in. Much damage was done to the street.

Due to the riots in Anderlecht, the Brussels transportation company MIVB, didn't let anybody get off in four metro-stations (Jacques Brel, Aumale, Sint-Guido and Veeweyde), by request of the police.

Evidently....the Yutes are outta control in Anderlecht

The Brussels suburb of Anderlecht was the scene of a proper city riot yesterday night. A few hundred immigrant youths and as many football hooligans, among them many skinheads, were ready to take on each other. After Anderlecht’s victory of the cup final on Sunday, they first came to blows.
The Moroccan youths responded to a call on the internet to settle with ‘the white supporters of the football club Anderlecht’ once and for all. They were ready to destroy a supporters’ café across the street from the football stadium, which caused the hardcore supporters to take up arms.
For hours the police services attempted to keep the troublemakers apart. Later the hotheads released their anger on bus stations and an underground station. At one stage the Anderlecht hooligans were even supported by a group of hardcore Germinal Beerschot supporters from Antwerp. The police detained about one hundred and fifty youths.

Belgium football games fixed?

There are strong indications that the betting mafia have once again pounced upon Belgian football. The football match in the first division between Anderlecht and Sint-Truiden on 26 April could possibly have involved bribery.

According to the magazine Sport/Voetbal a bet of almost 800,000 euro was placed in China on the Anderlecht STVV match, with a strong backing for an Anderlecht victory of three goals. Anderlecht eventually won the game 4-1. Three of the four Anderlecht goals were disputable from a referee’s position.

This season no more than 250,000 euro were put on a match with Belgian competitors in Asia. This is why Asian bookmakers immediately notified Karl Dhont, an expert in a diverse field of betting activities. According to Dhont something is definitely up, with an influx of money similar to the betting scandal involving the Chinese Zheyun Ye between 2004 and 2006. At the time various trainers, goalies and players were threatened by the betting mafia and bribed to ensure certain results on the scoreboard.

Brussels paralyzed by bus strike

Public transport ground to a halt in Brussels on Wednesday as bus drivers called a wildcat strike after a vehicle driven by one of their members was attacked with a Molotov cocktail. Bus and tram lines shut down across the city and metro trains were cripplingly overloaded as the strike took hold at 6.30am .
Brussels transport unions called the strike to demand safer working conditions after a gang of youths (of unknown origin, I'm sure) in the suburb of Anderlecht hurled a Molotov cocktail at a passing bus. Nobody was injured in the attack, the Belga news agency reported.Safety on public transport has been a recurrent theme in the Belgian media in recent months, with a string of attacks reported on both passengers and staff.

Anderlecht planning to leave Brussels

Anderlecht manager Herman Van Holsbeeck is enraged by the Brussels' politicians. "After all these years, we still don't know whether we can build a new stadium or not!"
"Don't get me wrong", he continued. "We are only asking for the permission to buy some ground to construct our stadium. We don't need any state fundings. It is all taking too long. It is time to look for municipalities outside Brussels that don't thwart our plans", he concluded.

You mean someone is having problems with bureaucracy in Brussels......who'd have thought eh?

Brasserie Cantillon Beer Festival

The Cantillon Brewery and Gueuze Museum is opening its doors on Saturday November 10th for its annual Public Brewing Session.
From 6h30 to 17h, the Master brewer, his family and friends invite you to this 19th Century brewery for a brewing fair where you can experience the various steps in the traditional production of Lambic and Gueuze beers, using original equipment and techniques.
The brewery tries to use biodynamic and organic ingredients wherever possible and is committed to traditional practices, thus producing excellent non-commercial beers.
The programme for the Public Brewing Session on 10 November is as follows:
6.30 to 9.00 Brewing process
9 to 13.00 Filtration and hopping
12.00 to 15.00 Cooking
15.30 Pumping of wort into the cooling tun
6.30 to 12.00 Barrel cleaning "ancient method"
Guided tours every 2 hours as from 7.00 Croissants and coffee until 8.30, free of charge. Cantillon is located at 56 rue Gheude,
Anderlecht, Brussels (close to Gare Du Midi)
WEBSITE

New Football Stadium for Brussels

The Brussels municipality of Schaarbeek has landed the new national soccer stadium.
The Prime Minister of the Brussels Region, Charles Piqué presented his government's plans for a new national soccer stadium in Brussels to the Capital's Regional Parliament on Wednesday.

The aim is to make the new stadium the new home of the national team, the Red Devils, and also probably the new home of Anderlecht football club. It will be a multifunctional and seat 60,000.

In typical Belgium fashion ........... The political consensus opens the way for talks with all parties involved including the Belgian Railways, the owners of the land.Investors, too, have already come forward.The new stadium will require up to 3 years study work and won't be ready before 2012 at the earliest.